New Phone Scam targets Rotarians

Posted by Yvonne Crabbe

on Dec 28, 2011

Rotary International News - 16 December 2011

A number of Rotarians have received phone calls from someone impersonating RI President Kalyan Banerjee or his assistant, claiming he was stuck at an airport and needed the recipient to send money to help.

This phone scam has been reported to authorities in Australia and the Philippines, where the calls appeared to originate. Calls are now being reported in Hawaii, USA, and the scam may continue to spread.

Please be aware of these other scams:

An email scam targeting Rotarians and Rotaractors claims the recipient has won hundreds of thousands of euros through an international promotional program conducted by the "Euro-Millones Lottery". Attached to the e-mail is a PDF letter signed by "Luis Alberto, Vice President" with a photo of Past RI President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar.
An email scam with the subject line "Dear Award Beneficiary!!!" has targeted Rotarians claiming the recipient has won US$500,000 and two HP laptops from RI. The email asks for contact information and is signed by "Mrs. Sarah Olic, Programme Co-ordinator, Rotary International".

RI encourages Rotarians and Rotary clubs to avoid becoming victims of such scams by deleting any e-mail that appears suspicious.